As you’re cruising along Hwy 1 through Mendocino and Sonoma County, you are most often looking west, toward the brilliant cliffs and headlands of our coastline. We’re challenging you to take an eastward turn on your next trip to the northern Sonoma coastline, because a new cafe has opened that you do not want to miss.

The all-new Ranch Cafe is just a quick turn inland from the highway onto Annapolis Road in Sea Ranch. We’ve been anxiously awaiting the opening of the newest coastal cafe in Sonoma County, and we are so excited that their doors have opened. And as a bonus, they are serving up Thanksgiving Coffee alongside some delicious sandwiches, pastries and desserts.

Ranch Cafe Reviews

“The Ranch Cafe is The Hot Spot for breakfast and lunch ~ yummy food with lots of selection, great prices and top notch customer service.”Jami

“We happened to find this cute little cafe while visiting Sea Ranch. It’s an awesome family owned business and I got a wonderful Latte! We will be back!”Adela

Visit the Ranch Cafe in Sea Ranch, California

The team at the Ranch Cafe is bringing excellent service and delicious food to the Sonoma coastline, and we are proud to be their coffee of choice. You can bet we’re planning to stop by every chance we get!

Nope, that’s not the pi(e) that we care about. The pie we care about is filled with sugar and fruits, and wrapped up in a warm yummy crust. We’re talking about pie. It may be Pi Day (3/14), but we’re celebrating good old pie today.

You can find Thanksgiving Coffee at two different pie shops in Northern California, Petaluma Pie Company and Kemmy’s Pies! Both of these companies are blow-your-mind good, and use organic, local, wholesome ingredients. Plus, they can serve you a cup Thanksgiving Coffee alongside a slice of your favorite pie.

Daylight Savings Time began on Sunday, and we are feeling it. If your office is anything like the Thanksgiving Coffee headquarters, there will be a lot of coffee consumed this week to make up for that lost hour.

Need that extra kick of caffeine? Our Pony Express is called The Jackhammer of Coffees for a reason. Pick up a bag, and get ready to take on your day with a lot more gusto.

Happy Daylight Savings, everyone!

Thanksgiving Coffee Company
2017 Roaster of the Year
Not Just A Cup, But A Just Cup

March 3 is World Wildlife Day

This Saturday is the perfect opportunity to spread the word about how wildlife inspires you. It’s also a chance to raise awareness for organizations that are doing the work to protect these creatures. Because of your support, we are able to partner with these groundbreaking non-profits, who are making a difference for wildlife all over the world:

Click the links below to learn more about each of these organizations:

If you’ve ordered our classic Mocha Java in the past few days, you may have spotted a difference in our packaging. Our new label design features a map that illustrates the story behind Mocha Java. In this blog post, we’re going to give you a little history lesson—so pour a cup of java (or grab yourself a mocha?) and have a seat.

While the word “mocha” may also refer to your favorite chocolate-y drink, that is not what we’re referring to in today’s post. Mocha Java is a historic blend of two origins an ocean away from each other: Indonesia and Yemen.

The History of Mocha Java

Back in the 1400s to 1600s, the majority of Europe’s coffee intake came out of the Red Sea, from the Port of Mocha [Makha or Mokha]. This coffee was grown in the country of Yemen, but was referred to by the name of the port from which it came. In the Pacific Islands, it was the same story. Most Indonesian coffee was coming out of a port on the island of Java, controlled by the Dutch East India Trading Company. This led to the term “java”, which has remained as slang for coffee to this day.

These two ports caffeinated most of the coffee-drinking world in those days, and trading ships passed through both on the same trip. Although 5,000 miles separated them, coffee from Java and Yemen lived together on the sailing vessels that made their way across the Indian Ocean and back to Europe. These two origins came together as the very first blend in the world of coffee, and it’s a combination that roasters continue to emulate.

The above pictures are a few examples of historic Mocha Java blends.

Mocha Java Today

These days, your typical Mocha Java has a few slight variations. Most roasters (and coffee enthusiasts) prefer Indonesian coffee to be sourced from Sumatra, the next island over from Java. On the Middle Eastern side, buyers will often source their “mocha” from the African country of Ethiopia, across the Red Sea from Yemen.

This is the case for our own homage to Mocha Java. For the Thanksgiving Coffee Mocha Java blend, we source our “java” from farmers in the the Takengon region of Sumatra, Indonesia. Our “mocha” is a natural-processed coffee that comes from farmer cooperatives in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. Our Mocha Java is a coffee that we’ve perfected over decades of roasting, and we strive to maintain its consistency.

The history of Mocha Java is a history of the coffee world as a whole. The coffee industry has changed significantly over the past five centuries, and we love looking back and researching where it all came from. Next time you brew up a cup of our Mocha Java, take your time drinking it, because you are sipping a truly historic coffee.

Mocha Java, Deconstructed

Now that you know the background of the Mocha Java, you have the opportunity to create your own. Our organic Sumatran Coffee is available in two roast colors, and we have three different organic Ethiopian coffees that you can choose from online. You can mix up the “mocha” and “java” to create your own perfect blend.

Thanksgiving Coffee Company• Not Just A Cup, But A Just Cup • 2017 Roaster of the Year

Just a mile away from San Francisco’s crookedest street is a classic old-school diner on Lombard that has graced the city of San Francisco for over thirty years. Home Plate in San Francisco has long been the breakfast choice of Bay Area locals, and they have now grown into a new location.

Thankfully, they haven’t moved far. This homage to the baseball years of old has shifted their location to a block west on Lombard Street, into a larger space. With the added area, they’re almost doubling their sitting area, and will be able to accommodate many more visitors for breakfast and lunch.

Coffee at Home Plate San Francisco

Thanksgiving Coffee has been Home Plate’s coffee provider since the very beginning, and they’re one of our favorite accounts to visit in the city. The coffee at Home Plate also received an upgrade during the move; a new brewer was just installed, and we had took some time to train their new in-house barista on espresso drinks, as well.

The Bay Area continues to offer some of the best food in the country, and we are so happy to provide coffee for the leading breakfast spots.

Home Plate San Francisco is open now in their new location:

2150 Lombard St
San Francisco, CA 94123

Photos from Home Plate

People have been enjoying breakfast at Home Plate in San Francisco for over three decades, but these photos are from some more recent excursions at this hot spot on Instagram:

We don’t need to convince any Mendocino local that Cafe Beaujolais has magnificent food, but now fans of the travel agency Visit California are being alerted to the excellent cuisine available in this North Coast establishment.

Chef Julian Lopez of Cafe Beaujolais was recently featured on Visit California’s enticing food segment: California Dream Eater. See if you can get through all 142 seconds of this video without drooling (or calling for a reservation). They featured a dry aged duck breast with local foraged tree collards and poached sunchoke for dinner, with a dessert of candy cap mushroom banana cake, and cinnamon creme-fresh ice cream.

Huge congratulations goes out to our friends at Cafe Beaujolais for this great feature on the Visit California website! The team at Beaujolais has been serving Thanksgiving Coffee since the Lopez family took over last year, and they can whip up a spectacular cappuccino to be enjoyed at the end of your meal.

The Chow restaurants are a staple of the Bay Area, and have been for the past two decades. Since 1997, they’ve been serving up quality food for locals and tourists alike. Thanksgiving Coffee Company is proud to have been a part of this tradition for the past fourteen years, supplying freshly roasted coffee to every new location that has opened its doors, from Golden Gate Park all the way to Danville.

This week, we are excited to welcome another Chow location into the fold. The newest version of the Chow Food Bar is a market and cafe that has been in the works for well over four years. Oakland is the lucky recipient of a brand new Chow Cafe, Bakery & Market!

This new location on Piedmont Ave will be expanding on what Lafayette has offered for several years, building out a market section that is sure to become the go-to for Oakland area shoppers.

The opening of Chow Oakland follows on the heels of the closing of Park Chow, a beloved location for many years. While we’re sad to see this parkside eatery disappear, it’s making way for growth in Oakland, which we love to see.

Chow Oakland just opened their doors this week. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to try this spectacular new establishment, and be sure to send them our thanks for serving Thanksgiving Coffee! Sarah Han of BerkeleySide.com got some great shots on opening day, be sure to check them out!

We might be challenging the status quo with the below statement, but we’re pretty sure you will agree with us…

There is nothing more romantic than coffee.

Sure, it’s sweet to get a box of chocolates. Yes, a steak dinner with a glass of wine is heavenly. But there is nothing more divine than waking up to the smell of freshly ground, freshly brewed coffee.

Give your significant other the best gift this Valentine’s Day. Wake up first and brew the coffee!

Want to surprise your better half with some new coffee beans? Here are a few ideas…

If you’re looking for something really sweet, these are a few of our favorite flavored coffees! A touch of vanilla and a hint of chocolate make these coffees a delightful Valentine’s Day treat.

Want something special? These coffees are special editions – something you won’t typically find at the grocery store!

If your Valentine’s Day includes chilling at home and watching a movie, decaf coffee might be a good idea.

No need to break the bank this Valentine’s Day – these two coffees are on sale all of February!

Thanksgiving Coffee Company2017 Roaster of the Year Not Just A Cup, But A Just Cup

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International has been one of Thanksgiving Coffee’s longest partnerships, and we’ve had the pleasure of donating over $40,000, with the help of our customers and wholesale partners.

The DFGFI has been working tirelessly for fifty years to continue the legacy of Dian Fossey, in protecting the magnificent mountain gorillas of Africa. First in Rwanda, and now expanding into the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International has changed the way the world thinks about gorillas, and has preserved and documented five decades of gorillas in the mountains of the Virungas.

Now, they are going to be able to do even more, with the extraordinary donation from Portia De Rossi and Ellen DeGeneres. On January 26, Ellen’s 60th birthday, Portia gave Ellen the gift of furthering Dian Fossey’s legacy and joining the DFGFI by establishing a permanent research center in Rwanda.

This is a huge step forward for the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, allowing them to expand their research in this specially-designed facility. President and CEO Tara Stoinski, Ph.D. said this about the gift:

“It’s impossible to overstate what this remarkable news means for the protection of these magnificent animals. We have continued Dian’s legacy for 50 years, and this new campus will serve as a brilliant focal point for our efforts to protect wild gorillas over the next decades.”

We are so excited to be able to watch as this new partnership grows and matures. Portia De Rossi also set up a Wildlife Fund in Ellen’s name: the Ellen DeGeneres Wildlife Fund. This fund will begin by supporting the Karisoke research facility, and will continue to take on projects for other wildlife preservation causes in the future.

Thanksgiving Coffee wants to give a huge thank you to Ellen and Portia for this amazing donation to the future of Rwanda’s mountain gorillas.

About the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International

The DFGFI was established in 1967 by Dian Fossey. She set up a research facility in the country of Rwanda, dedicated to the preservation and documentation of the mountain gorillas living in the Virunga wilderness. After her death in 1985, the organization continued her work in monitoring and protecting the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, and later the Grauer’s gorillas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Thanksgiving Coffee and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International partnered in early 2004 to create the Gorilla Fund Cause Coffee, using Fairtrade Rwandan coffee. In 2017, we launched our Grauer’s Gorilla Coffee, using Organic and Fairtrade coffee grown in the Congo. Through the fourteen years we’ve worked with the DFGFI, we’ve raised over $40,000 to support these gorillas.